


Just Like the Movies

by StupidGenius



Series: Tumblr AUs/prompts (Sterek) [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Artist Stiles, Photographer Derek, derek is kind of a creep, he's sorry about it tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2015-06-10
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:30:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4109167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupidGenius/pseuds/StupidGenius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He's here all the time?" A nod. "How come I never noticed him?" She paused in front of the car. </p><p>"You think he's hot."</p><p>"I do <em>not-</em>"</p><p>"Oh my god."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Like the Movies

**Author's Note:**

> “I’m a photography student and the light was just shining off your hair so perfectly I just HAD to take a picture and now you’ve found it online, I’m in trouble now” au
> 
> Be warned; I'm an illustrator, not a photographer, so I know nothing about any of this.

Here's the thing.

Derek has a routine. Every morning, he wakes up at 5, then goes running for an hour and a half. He goes back to his loft, showers, then eats breakfast. At 7:30, he leaves for his classes. After his classes, he goes to pick up doughnuts for Erica, then picks her up from her job at the local art gallery, and drops her off at her boyfriend's place. Then he goes to park for a while, then home. Every day.

Today is no different.

He parks the Camaro outside, next to a ridiculous, old blue jeep. It's the kind of car he might find in some hipster photographer's portfolio. He scoffs, going to the entrance and looking around for Erica.

That's when it happens. That incredibly cliché, time stopping moment, when the main character spots their love interest for the first time. At least, that's what Laura says, when she asks him how they met.

The guy's standing in front of a painting. It's old, one of the only permanent paintings in this place. From where he is, Derek can see the guy's wide brown eyes studying every inch of the canvas, long, pale, slender fingers clutching a notebook to his chest. His hair's wild, like he's just woken up and forgotten to brush it, and his bottom lip is caught between his teeth. Derek can't do anything but stare for a few seconds, fiddling with the camera around his neck. This guy is  _beautiful._ The most gorgeous person he's ever seen.

And he would be great for his portfolio.

The light from the window beside him makes his unruly brown hair shine gold, highlighting the slope of his nose and the tips of his long lashes. Derek brings the camera up to his face and waits a few moments before taking the shot. Then Erica calls.

"Derek!" He drops it, turning to see her walking up to him, burgundy coat thrown over one arm. "Hey. Did you get my doughnuts?"

"When have I ever forgotten?" He rolls his eyes, holding up a brown paper bag. She grins.

"Nope. Just checking." Then she narrows her eyes. "Were you taking a picture of Stiles?"

"What?" He frowns, holding the door open for her.

"The tall nerd in front of the painting?" She offers. "That's Stiles. He comes by every other day to 'study the art', whatever that means. You'd think after two years, he'd have studied it all by now."

"He's here all the time?" A nod. "How come I never noticed him?" She pause in front of the car.

"You think he's hot."

"I do _not-_ "

"Oh my god."

 

* * *

 

Once Derek noticed him, he can't  _not_ see him everywhere. At the coffee shop, around campus a few times, driving that ridiculous beat up blue jeep. After a week, Erica tells him to just forget the doughnuts and come by early to talk to him.

So he did.

"Hey." He taps the guy's shoulder. Stiles jumps about a foot in the air before turning, hand pressed to his heart.

"Jesus. You scared me." He huffs. His voice is rougher than Derek expected. The different shades of browns and golds in his eyes are mesmerizing.

"I go by Derek, actually." He blurts. Stiles blinks at him, then throws his he'd back and laughs, loud and echoing off the walls. 

"That was clever." Stiles grins.

"Really? My sisters stood me I've got the sense of humor of a stick in the mud."

"I think your funny. And trust me, I know funny." He cocks his head to the side. "Did you want something?"

"You were, uh..." Shit. He didn't think this through. "Um, you were blocking the painting."

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that." He moves to the side, looking up at the painting in awe. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He asks. Derek took in the way Stiles looked, head tipped back and mouth slightly agape.

"Yeah." If Laura were with him, she'd be laughing her ass off.

"I mean, I know there are like, a thousand other paintings of dancers out there, but this one's my favourite."

"Why?" He wondered. Stiles smiled softly, eyes lingering on the _C.S. 1998_ painted on the bottom corner.

"The older ballerina's tying a blank mask over the younger one's face. Everything's blurry except for their legs. I'm assuming it's about how people think they're only as good as how well they can preform and how long they practice." He pauses. "My mother used to be a dancer. I loved watching her dance around the house. When I asked her why she quit, she said he didn't like how it was taught. That the teachers treated the girls like a product that needed to be perfected. Everyone had to be thin, and they had to practice all the time and be perfect. If they weren't, they were yelled at constantly. It's too much pressure to put on little girls. They don't need all that stress and insecurity added onto them. It's enough that they're prematurely sexualized and told what they can and cannot wear by society." He blinks. "Sorry about that. I got carried away."

"It's fine." Derek clears his throat. "I can understand that. My sister's the same way. She used to dance too. Unlike your mother, she was terrible at it. She didn't have the patience to deal with teachers like that though. If they yelled at her, she yelled right back. Called one of them a 'hypocritical pig' and said that maybe she's actually listen to them if they did more than lounge in their chairs and scream at little girls."

"Wow." Stiles snorts. "Sounds like someone I'd like to meet."

"I've got the feeling you two would only make my life hell."

"You'd probably be right." He laughs, then sighs. "God. I haven't even told me my name, have I? Jesus. I'm Stiles."

"It was nice talking to you." He smiles. Stiles nods, mouth quirked in a crooked grin.

"Ditto."

He snaps a picture of him on the way out, smiling at how in awe he looks.

 

* * *

 

He talks to Stiles every chance he gets. He hasn't worked up the courage to ask for his number, or told him that he's started carrying his camera around everywhere because of the off chance he might catch him, though it's been two months. Stiles is funny, and smart, and sarcastic. He's beautiful, and maybe it's a bit creepy, but there are ten pictures of him up on Derek's website.

He's stupidly, irrationally in love with him. After two months.

Laura laughs at him.

 

* * *

 

"Derek!" He turns when he hears his name, surprised to see Stiles running across campus. What's he doing there? He already asked, Stiles doesn't go to college. He's taking a year off.

"Hey." He says cautiously, taking in the irritation and confusion on Stiles' face.

"Care to tell me what this is?" He shoves his phone on Derek's face. It takes him a few minutes to realize what he's seeing.

It's his website. The one he never told Stiles about. He's been posting all his new pictures and stuff for his portfolio on there, and it never occurred to him Stiles would find it. God, he's such a creep.

"I-I can explain."

"What the _fuck_ , dude?" Stiles snaps. "You've been taking pictures of me and never said anything? Don't you think that's a little _creepy_? And not to mention stalker-ish. My dad's the sheriff, you know-"

"I'm sorry!" He chokes out. "I saw you when I going to pick up Erica, and the light was just so perfect, and you're so fucking gorgeous, I had to! I was going to tell you, really, I was. But I started talking to you, and I like you, okay, I thought maybe if I told you you'd freak out, and-"

"Wait." Stiles says quietly. Derek takes a breath. "You like me?"

"Yeah." He mutters. "I thought that was obvious."

"You think I'm _gorgeous?_ " He narrows his eyes.

"Look. I understand if you don't feel the same way, and never talk to me again." He starts to turn, but Stiles puts a hand on his arm, turning him around.

"Don't feel the same way? Are you kidding? I fell for you the moment you started trying to convince me that Iron Man is better than Batman."

"He _is-_ "

"Not the point, sourface." Stiles smiles softly at him. "I'm trying to say I like you too."

"Right." Derek pulls him close, their faces inches away.

"This the part of the movie where we kiss, and everyone in the audience screams 'finally' or starts crying?"

"I hope so." Derek whispers. And then he kisses him.

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of things.
> 
> Ballet is beautiful, and I'm not judging anyone who dances. Stiles' critique is based on my sister's and my own personal experience with dance.
> 
> Second, if you couldn't tell, the painting Stiles was looking at was done by his mother. The C S at the bottom stood for Claudia Stilinski. He decided to follow in her footsteps and the notebook was actually a sketchbook, if anyone was wondering. I love the idea of Stiles being able to paint and draw.
> 
> (Also, a lot of the stuff in this series is in Derek's POV)
> 
> My [tumblr](http://littleredtheboy.tumblr.com/). Come cry over Stiles with me.
> 
> want me to write anything? [Send me a prompt](http://stupidgenius.tumblr.com/ask).


End file.
